Cushion-tire.



To all lwhom it may] concer/1i:

citizen of the United States, residing at y provide a vehicle tire whichrough and uneven roads and obstructions.

lvided With-a plurality of buffer members chambers, ivliieh air can beexpelled but of construction and combination of parts,

A ing the vpreferred embodiment of my invenneueren CHARLES M. QULP, OFSOUTH BEND, INDIAN.

CUSHIGN-TIBE.

Specification of 'Letters Patent.

ratenteti oet. isis.

applicants-ii sied Merch is, isis. sez-iai No. sessie;

Be it known that l, CHARLES M. CULP, a

South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of indiana, haveinvented certainneiv anduseful Improvements in Cushionrllires, of whichthe following s1ecii'ica-- tion. a y i Y lily invention relates tocushion tires for automobile and other vehicles.v

@ne object of the present invention is to will absorb vi# bration andshock ldue Yto riuining over A further object of the invention residesin the provision vof cushion tire having a plurality of bufferI membersdisposed periplierally of and supporting the tread of the Wheel, saidbulfers forming air chambers from which the air is forced Tvlien underabnormal pressure, and which assume their nor-mal contour undeifnorinalload lor pressure.

A still further object o' the invention resides in the provision of acushion tire, the tread of which is supported by a plurality of buiiiermembers yielding under abnormal' pressure, andforniing air chambers fromWhich the air can-be but graduallyexpelled when subjected to abnormalpressure, thus gradually taking up shock.l

A still further ob'ect of the invention resides in the provision of acushion tire7 proforming air chambers for supporting the tread, whichbuffers are designed to Withstand collapse under normal pressure, and.which' are Acompressible under abnormal pressure, tlie buersautomatically assuming their normal v,contour 'when relieved of excesspressure and drawing air Within their gradually upon collapse-'ofthebuffer, thus alfording an air cushion .tire not' requiringii mechanicalinflation.- p

71th 'these' and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcerta-1n novel features as hereinafter' more fully` described 'andpointed out in theclaims.

In the drawing employed for illustrattion: .Figure 1 isha fragmentary-view of the tire partly in elevation, and partly in taken on the lineY-Y of Fig. 2.

present invention.

ity .air is admitted through the-ducts 14,15 and tioii, and very Fig. 2is a crossesectional view thereof taken on the line X-K of l.

Referring now more particularly to the 'accompanying drawing, thereference character l represents the baseof the tire, which 'ispreferably made of Wood having a vtough ber, 'for the purpose ofobtaining both strength and lightness of construction. '.r s is providedwith a concavedputer race- Q, tread member 8, the sides of which foldover tie sides of the base and flange n'ieinbers l 'thereof entergrooves 5 formed in the opposite sides of the base. Clamping plates 6,-which are secured to the base'by ineens of bolts i', extend over theflange portions of the tread when in lposition Yupon the base. The innerportion of the base members may be reduced, as shown in Fig. 2,' so asto lit a cleiiclier rim, and thetire may be made up in sections, soas'to permit saine .to be readily applied to va clencher `riniof thestructure shown, the forni of rim, or Whether making up the tire. insections or not, being optional-'fand immaterial for the purpose'of thellhe base is provided on its outer face with a plurality of closelysp'aced'soclrets 9, preferably circular in form, and having annulargrooves l0 formed in the side Walls thereof adjacent the bottom ofthesocket. Buffer members ll, preferably made of solid rub-A ber and ofconsiderable thickness so as to withstand great pressure Withoutcollapsing, are seated vin said sockets, ribs l2 on the bufersbeingforced into the annular grooves l0 to prevent displacement thereof. Eachbuffer is formed with a semisphe'ricalcm- 13, forming an air'- chamberinto which 16 in communicationivitli each other, the

air ducts lil being sufficiently smallso that7` jupon compression of thebu'ers-due to'excess pressure thereon, the air can escape butgradually,` thus lgraduallyetaking up shocky 4due to traveling overrough and uneven roa ds,

or passing over obstructions. i The buffers are intended y to servetheir purpose only in the event of abnormal or excess pressure upon thetire, 'serving as an auxiliary rather than a primary cushioning meansfor the tread, the latter having a double convex formathat it, the samebeing of rubber, Will take up or absorb ordinary shock. The tread iswhich fornisa seat for a rubber thick at its center point, "s0V vsiefers, and the inner conca-ved surface of thev tread becomes seated 1nthe concaved p`ey normallwheld spaced from the -baseand isv seated inthe concaved ends 174 of the bufriphery of thebase when the tread iscompletely depressed,'thus allowing the tread to still have a cushioningeffect, although the huiiers may be compressed to their limit.

, .By reniovil'ig one of thev clamping plates v be readily and quicklymade.

I have thus provided a vehicle tire em-fv ploying'-air as agvcushioningmeans, and in which the air-confining units are of. a 'struc- 'turewhich does not .result in throwing the tire out of commission incaseof'inju'ry or the Wearing out of :one or more of 'such units,. and mwinch air isnsed. for cushioninggpnrff poses without 1'u1u1r1-I1gmechanical means.

foriniiation'puposes', or conining air under pressure'. 1: f z Havingth` described 'my invention, what l. A vehicle tire lt:onip'rising abaseA'portion, sockets formed 'inspaced relation around the periphery ofsaid base, .huifers seated in said sockets and extending nor-- -mallybeyond the 'peripheryof said base, a tread portion seated upon 'saidbuffers, the

latter-being hollow and formingair chambers in .connec-.tion with thebase-when seated in their sockets, and air ducts communicatmg wlth sal-dchambers to permit lingress andegress of air-to and from saidchambers.

' 2. A vehicle-tire comprising a vhase .por-

tion having a plurality of sockets formed -iri itsouter face, air 'ductsin communication withthe .bottom of' said sockets, yielding buershollowed' on one Vside and adapted -45 'low portions covering said ai'i`duct openings,4

.to yhe-seatedin said sockets with theirjholthe bottom of the socketsand' buffers combined forming air' chambers, and a tread portion seatedupon'the 'outer 'ends of said buffers 'and'held spacedffrom the baseportion, lsaid lbuiers being entirely collapsible,

within their sockets when under excess pressure. r 'In' testimonywhereof I'Iaix'my signature 1n presence of two Witnesses. CHARLES MCULP.

Witnessesz i DAN PYLE, LnLAf Cook.'

. my weak

